Acousto-optical coherence tomography with a digital holographic detection scheme

Acousto-optical coherence tomography (AOCT) consists in using random phase jumps on ultrasound and light to achieve a millimeter resolution when imaging thick scattering media. We combined this technique with heterodyne off-axis digital holography. Two-dimensional images of absorbing objects embedded in scattering phantoms are obtained with a good signal-to-noise ratio. We study the impact of the phase modulation characteristics on the amplitude of the acousto-optic signal and on the contrast and apparent size of the absorbing inclusion.     

Analysis of phenols in water by high-performance liquid chromatography using coumarin-6-sulfonyl chloride as a fluorogenic precolumn label

A simple, sensitive and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method is proposed for the analysis of some environmentally important phenols in water. The use of coumarin-6-sulphonyl chloride (C6SCl) as a fluorescence-labeling reagent has been investigated. The compound reacts with phenols within 20 min under mild conditions (ambient temperature, pH 9.0) to give sulphonates that can be separated by RP-HPLC employing fluorescence detection at lambda(ex) = 360 and lambda(em) = 460 nm. The optimum conditions for fluorescence, derivatization and chromatographic separation have been established and detection limits in the range 0.1-0.9 microg l(-1) were obtained for the studied compounds. The calibration curves were linear for the range 6-200 microg l(-1) for phenol, 3-200 microg l(-1) for 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and 2,3,5-trichlorophenol and for the range of 3-100 microg l(-1) for 2,3-dichlorophenol and 3,5-dichlorophenol. The practical applicability of the method to environmental samples was demonstrated by analyzing drinking and industrial water samples spiked with the phenolic compounds.     

Theoretical study on the small carbon nano-ladders

1,3-Butadiyne, 1,3,5-hexatriyne, 1,3,5,7-octatetrayne, and 1,3,5,7,9-decapentayne are small oligomeric forms of acetylene. These oligomers participate in cyclization reactions to form ladder-like structures. Enthalpies, ?H, and Gibbs free energies, ?G, of the cyclization reactions were calculated employing MP2 and B3LYP methods. The calculated ?H and ?G were positive, and their variation versus carbon atoms number, n, was fitted in linear functions as ?H(n) = a+bn. The calculations were performed on the structures with carbon numbers up to 20. Also, consecutive cyclization reactions between acetylene molecules were studied. During these consecutive reactions, two different structures, zigzag-ladder-like and cyclic molecules with tetragonal rings, were produced. Among the cyclic structures, the hexagonal form was the most stable structure. The calculated ?H and ?G of formation of zigzag-ladder-like molecules were excellently fitted in linear functions. The obtained functions for ?H and ?G calculated by MP2 method are ?H(n) = 139.67?126.44n and ?G(n) = 80.987?75.684n, respectively.     

Medium Initial pH and Carbon Source Stimulate Differential Alkaline Cellulase Time Course Production in Stachybotrys microspora

The production profile of cellulases of the mutant strain A19 from the filamentous fungus Stachybotrys microspora was studied in the presence of various carbon sources (glucose, lactose, cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and wheat bran) and a range of medium initial pH (5, 7, and 8). Two extracellular cellulases from the Stachybotrys strain (endoglucanases and β-glucosidases) were monitored by enzymatic assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and zymogram analysis. Glucose and lactose repressed CMCase time course production while they permitted a strong β-glucosidase one. On Avicel cellulose, CMC, and wheat bran, both activities were highly produced. Wheat bran (WB) is the best carbon source with an optimum of production at days 5 and 6. The production kinetics of both activities were shown to depend on the medium initial pH, with a preference for neutral or alkaline pH in the majority of conditions. The exception concerned the β-glucosidase which was much more produced at acidic pH, on glucose and cellulose. Most interestingly, a constitutive and conditional expression of an alkaline endoglucanase was revealed on the glucose-based medium at an initial pH of 8 units. The zymogram analysis confirmed such conclusions and highlighted that carbon sources and the pH of the culture medium directed a differential induction of various endoglucanases and β-glucosidases.     

Preparation of poly(acrylamide)/nanoclay organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles with average size of ∼250 nm via inverse Pickering emulsion polymerization

In this study, the preparation of poly(acrylamide)/nanoclay organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles via surfactant-free inverse emulsion polymerization by using organically modified clay platelets as stabilizers was discussed. Colloidally stable inverse Pickering emulsions of aqueous acrylamide solution in cyclohexane (solvent) stabilized by hydrophobic Cloisite 20A (MMT20) were prepared. Polymerization was carried out via 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) and composite particles with an average size of ～250 nm were obtained. The effect of initiator and solvent type on the stability, size, size distribution, and morphology of the produced composite particles was examined. It was observed that in the presence of xylene as solvent, particles with bigger sizes and broader size distribution were obtained. Furthermore, using an ionic initiator resulted in a slight coagulation during polymerization and smaller particles. Moreover, the effect of various polymerization conditions such as temperature, initiator, and crosslinking agent concentration and clay content on the polymerization rate was evaluated. The experimental results showed that polymerization rate increases with an increase in polymerization temperature, crosslinking agent concentration, and initiator content. However, increasing in clay content results in a lower polymerization rate.     

CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline: one-pot synthesis and P NMR study

Herein we report a one-pot multi-step synthesis of the cofactors CDP-Ethanolamine and CDP-Choline starting from cytidine 5′-monophosphate and using commercially available and/or easily prepared reagents. While studying the ³¹P NMR spectrum of CDP-Ethanolamine, an unexpected characteristic for a pyrophosphate diester was observed as it showed a singlet or two doublets depending upon the pH. Therefore, further NMR studies were undertaken to investigate the pH dependence of the peak splitting pattern and measure the acid dissociation constants of the compounds.     

Oleochemical‐Tethered SBA‐15‐Type Silicates with Tunable Nanoscopic Order,Carboxylic Surface,and Hydrophobic Framework: Cellular Toxicity,Hemolysis, and Antibacterial Activity

Novel silicates were prepared by using silylated natural fatty acids (derived from triglyceride renewable oils) as co‐condensing reagents in presence of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and the triblock copolymer, pluronic P123, as a structure directing agent. A series of carboxylic acid functionalized SBA‐15‐type mesoporous silicates were obtained with tunable nanoscopic order and reactive functional groups that allow the conjugation of amino probes by peptide coupling. Photophysical studies of the covalently linked aminopyrene substantiated that the internal framework of these materials have pronounced hydrophobicity. Moreover, phase separation that can emanate from the bulkiness of the starting fatty silanes has been ruled out owing to the absence of excimers after aminopyrene grafting. The hemotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial activity of these novel silicates were then evaluated. Without discrimination, the functionalized silicates show a significant decrease of red blood cell hemolysis as compared to bare SBA‐15‐silica material. Within the modified silicate series, germanium‐free mesoporous silicates induce only a slight decrease in cell viability and, more interestingly, they exhibit negligible hemolytic effect. Moreover, increasing their concentration in the medium reduces the concentration of released hemoglobin as a result of Hb adsorption. Promising antimicrobial properties were also observed for these silicates with a slight dependency on whether phenylgermanium fragments were present within the silicate framework.     

A Laccase/Chitosan‐Lambda‐Carrageenan Based Voltammetric Biosensor for Phenolic Compound Detection

In this contribution, a new concept of voltammetric catechol biosensor, based on the encapsulation of laccase (LAC) in a chitosan+lambda‐carrageenan (CHIT+CAR) polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) employing a simple coacervation process is presented. Chitosan (CHIT) was prepared from α‐chitin extracted from shrimp shells and lambda‐carrageenan (CAR) was extracted from red algae, both polysaccharides and PEC being characterized using FTIR spectrometry and electrochemistry. Cyclic voltammetry was utilized to determine the analytical features of the laccase (LAC) biosensor for catechol detection. The linear range was from 10^?20 M to 10^?14 M with a sensitivity of 1.55 mA/p[catechol] and a limit of detection of 3×10^?21 M.The laccase biosensor exhibits good repeatability (RSD 2.38 %) and stability (four weeks). The developed biosensor was tested by applying it to the evaluation of the total polyphenolic content in natural oil samples.     

Surveying FDA-approved drugs as new potential inhibitors of N-cadherin protein: a virtual screening approach

Since N-cadherin protein plays a remarkable role in cancer metastasis and tumor growth and progression, finding new effective inhibitors of this protein can be of high importance in cancer treatment. Nevertheless, few molecules have been introduced to inhibit N-cadherin protein to date. In this work, in order to find and present potent inhibitors, 3358 FDA-approved small molecules were docked against N-cadherin protein. All complexes with binding energy ??9 to ??8 kcal/mol were selected for protein-ligand interaction analysis. In the following, Tanimoto coefficient (T_c) was calculated for those molecules that established appropriate interactions with N-cadherin in order to compute the similarity score between them. Afterwards, molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculations were done to estimate the stability and ability of the chosen ligands in complex with the target protein. Finally, seven small molecules among 3358 FDA-approved were suggested as potential inhibitors of N-cadherin protein.

     

Synthesis and characterisation of mesoporous hybrid silica-polyoxometalate aerogels for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue

ABSTRACT

Mesoporous silica aerogel/polyoxometalate hybrids were successfully synthesised under mild conditions, and were investigated towards photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B and Methylene Blue dye models in aqueous media under ultraviolet irradiation. The materials were characterised, in the solid state, by various tools such as FTIR, TGA, and powder XRD, in order to gather information about their chemical and structural properties. Moreover, UV-Vis, AAS, BET, SEM, and EDX techniques were used to confirm the polyoxometalates’ loading and their distribution onto the silica aerogels’ surface. The most important analytical technique was the Nitrogen adsorption-desorption, which revealed a significant increase in the specific surface area and pore volume of the hybrid catalysts after immobilisation. The synthesised hybrid catalysts, TEOS/PW₁₂ and TEOS/SiW₁₂, have shown efficient photocatalytic activity towards Methylene Blue and Rhodamine B degradation within 120 min under ultraviolet illumination, thus reaching a degradation percentage of 81–98% and 55–90%, respectively. UV-Vis analysis was employed to scrutinise the formation of intermediate species and revealed that the photocatalytic degradation process proceeded to completion within a surprisingly short time of ~5 min.